Coin sorter and register.



c.v H'. woofns..v G01N SORTER AND REGISTER. i Armcmou 'min 1 UL`Y16. 191s.

- Patented Apr; 4,'1916.

Attorneys Witnesses .v f f c. H. woons.

COIN ASQRTER AND REGISTER.

Arrucmo man :uw xs. :915.

1, 177,671 Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

\ y? )fr a@ j Inventor by y I f Attorneys though the apparatus is UNITED sTATEs PaTENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. WOODS, OF DECATUB, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERT RUEBSAMEN, OF DECATUR. ILLINOIS.

COIN SORTER AND REGISTER Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Application filed July 16,1915. Serial No. 40,281.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. WOODS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Decatur, in the county of Macon and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Coin Sorter and Register, of Which the following is a specification.

The present invention appertains to coin sorters and registers, an apparatus of that character adapted especially for use i connection with a street care fare box or receptacle, for separating the nickels and dimes and registering the number of coins of each denomination, al-

adapted for other uses as well and may be constructed for sorting various sizes and number of coins or disks.

The salient features of the invention is the provision of novel means for conducting the different coins to different points Where they are ejected, in connection with unique means for ejecting the coins so that they will drop into the respective receptacles provided for receiving the various sorts of coins.

It is also an object of the invention to combine with the sorting mechanism, registers which are arranged to be operated when the respective coins are ejected, so that the registers will 4indicate the number of coins of each class which have been de posited in their receptacles.

It is also Within the scope of the invention, to provide a. coin sorter and register having the features above noted, and embodying a novel assemblage and coperation of the component parts, whereby the utility and efliciency of the appliance are enhanced.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope ofwhat is claimed Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

'Ihe invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical section ofi the and aims to provide coin chute, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the apparatus. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional detail taken on the line 66 of Fig. 3.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided a suitable frame l having suitable brackets and bearings for the various parts which are supported Within the frame, and the frame may be provided With side panels so as to close and protect the Working parts. The frame 1 carries an upper fare box or receptacle 2, that is, when the appliance is employed for street car use, in order that the coins, such, as five and ten cent pieces, inI

the present instance, may be deposited in the box 2 by the passengers. The coins are normally held within the box 2 by a lower shutter 3 which may be manually operated b v the conductor for dropping the coins, after they have been examined through the transparent Walls of the box 2, which enables the conductor, as usual, to detect the presence of spurious or counterfeit coins, lVhen the apparatus is employed in a bank, or the like, for separating the coins, the box or receptacle 2 may naturally be eliminated, and the use of the coin box or receptacle 2 is therefore dependent upon the use to which the apparatus is put.

The frame l contains various parts of the sorting and registering mechanisms, and carries an upper hopper 4 below the fare box 2 which is adapted to receive the coins, this hopper 4 having a depending spout 5 which delivers the mixed coins to the coin delivering device 6, which serves to deliver the coins one at a time into the sorting or separating mechanism. Thedelivering device 6 embodies a circular cup 7, and an oscillatory deliveringdisk 8 mounted Within the cup 7 upon the bottom thereof, the disk 8 being provided at one side of its center with 'a coin opening 9 adapted to be brought under the spout 5 for receiving the lowermost coin from Ithe spout 5 to carry said coin from under the spout 5. The disk 8 yis secured upon the upper end of an upright rock shaft 10 journaled through the bottom of the cup4 operated in a manner which will appear hereinafter. The bottom of the cup 7 has an opening 11 at one side of the spout 5 7, this vshaft 10 being sol through which the coin carried by the disk 8 drops when the disk 8 is swung to move the opening 9 from under the spout 5 and over the opening 11.

Supported immediately below the 4{opening 11 of the delivering device 6 is a coin hopper 12 carried by the upper end of an upright or vertical coin chute 13. This coin chute 13 has av relatively wide channel 14 extending downwardly from the hopper 12 to a point between the ends of the chute, and has a relatively narrow channel 15 extending downwardly from the channel 14. A coin seat 16 is provided between the channels 14 and 15, or at the lower end of the channel 14, for stopping and supporting the nickels or five cent pieces, and a seat 17 is provided at the lower end. of the channel 15 for stopping and supporting the dimes or ten cent pieces. At this point, it might be mentioned, thatthe coin chute and corresponding parts may be constructed of various sizes or proportions for sorting varions denominations and numbers of coins,

' according to the dictates of necessity or convenience. The coin chute 13 is provided at one side with an outlet opening 18 for the nickels, this opening 18 being arranged adjacent the seat 16 and extending from the lower end of the passage 14, and the said side of the chute 13 is provided with a second outlet opening 19 for the dimes, this opening 19 being arranged adjacent the seat 17 and extending from the lower end of 'the passage 15.

'llhe coin ejector comprises an upright slide or cross head 20 slidable upon outstanding guide rods 21` carried by that side of the coin chute 13 opposite the openings 113 and 19, coiled wire expansion springs 22 being disposed between the coin chute and har 26 for yieldably moving the bar 20 away from the coin chute. Plungers 23 and 24 are secured to the bar 20 and project slidably through that side of the coin chute 13 opposite the openings 18 and 19, and the plungers 23 and, 24 are coaxial with the respective openings 13 and 19. When the'bar 20 is moved awf'ayvfrom the coin chute under the influence of the springs 22, the plungers 23 and 24 are retracted out of the passages 14 and 15, respectively, but when the bar '20 is moved toward the coin chute, the plungers will be projected through the passages of the coin chute and through the outlet openings 18 and 19, respectively.

Cooperating with the coin ejecting means, are coin holding means, which prevent the accidental discharge of the coins, and which facilitate the proper ejectment or discharge of the coins. The two coin holding means embody upper and lower plunger-s 25 and 26. respectively, which are mounted slidably within the upper and lower openings 18 and 19. The opening 18 and plunger 25 are just slightly greater in diameter than a nickel, while the opening 19 and plunger 26 are just slightly greater in diameter than a dime, for obvious reasons. Guides 27 are carried by the coin chute 13 and the plungers 25 and 26 are slidably carried thereby, and coiled wire expansion springs 28 and 29 are disposed between the respective plungers 25 and 26 and the corresponding guides 27, whereby the springs yieldably move the plungers 25 and 26 toward and adjacent the passages 14 and 15 of the coin chute. They plungers 25 aud 26 are provided with the respective flanges 25 and 26 to bear against the coin chute 13 for limiting the movement of the plungers properly so that lthey will not project into the passages 14 and 15. The plungers 25 and 26 have the respective bores or sockets 30 and 31 for re-kk ceiving the plungers 23 and-24, respectively, when the coin ejectors operate idly. The plungers 25 and 26 also have the outstanding pins or stems 32 and 33 at thosefends remote Ifrom the coin chute, and the stems 32 and 33 have the respective heads or knobs 34 and 35 at their free ends. f Means are employed for holding the plungers 25 and 26 against the tension off'their springs, and to this end upper and-lower pairs of leaf springs 36 and 37 are carried by the frame. The springs 36 and 37 vproject toward the respective plungers 25 and 26, `and have the inturned hooks 38 at their free ends for receiving and holding the knobs 34 and 35 when the plungers 25 and 1 26 are pushed outwardly. The leaf springs or spring catches 36 and 37 are released in'a manner which will be described hereinafter.` j,

The actuating livering device 6, the coin cjecting means or device, and the device for releasingthe catches 36 and `37'-, vembodies an upright .shaft 39 journaled to the frame 1 and operated by a hand crank 4() upon the outside of the frame 1 and connected tothe shaft.l 39 by means of the intermeshing bevel gearsl 41 carried by the shaft 39 and crank'40.

mechanism or the coin de- A rotatable gear 42, having a vertical aXis parallel with the vertical axis of the ,shaft 10 and disposed .in a horizontal plane below the horizontal. plane of the disk 8, intermeshes with a gear wheel 43 carried by the shaft. 39, and has an upstanding wrist pin 44. A pitman is pivoted at one end to the wrist pin 44 and is slidable through a pivoted element 46 carried by a radially projecting arm 47 secured to therock shaft 10 of the delivering device 6. A vstop 48 is secured upon the pitman 45 and is arranged to bear against the element 46 when the gear wheel 42 is rotated to move the wrist piu 44 toward the arm 47, so tha't.the said arm 47 will be forcibly swung in one direction. A coiled wire expansion spring 49 is disposed between the element 46 and a head or collar 50 carried by the free end of the pitman 45, whereby the spring 49 will yieldably swing the arm 47 in the other direc-y tion.

The coin ejecting device and shaft 39 are operatively connected; and to this end, a cam 5l is carried by the shaft 39 and bears against a roller 52 carried by the bar 20 of the ejecting device, the cam 51 being so proportioned as to properly project the plungers 23 and 24.

The means for releasing the catches 36 and 37 embodies an upright rock shaft 53, journaled to the frame between' the catches of the upper and lower pairs, and an angle iron tappet or cam 54 has its elbow secured to the shaft 53, whereby the flanges of the tappet or cam 54 will swing the catches 36 and 37 apart when the shaft 53 is oscillated properly. The lower end of the shaft 53 is operatively connected with the shaft 39, and to this end, the lower end of the rock shaft 53 has an angularlyor radially projecting arm 55 to which one end of a plunger rod 56 is pivoted. The other or free e'nd of the rod 56 coperates with a suitable cam 57 carried by the driving Shaft 39, whereby the rod 56 will be timely thrust away from the shaft 39 by the cam 57 for separating the catches 36 and 37 properly.

The lower portion of the frame 1 carries a slid-able drawer 58 having the receptacles 59 and 60 for receiving the dimes and nickels, respectively. The receptacle 59 is disposed below the dime ejecting means so as to catch the dimes, while the receptacle 60 is located at one side of the ejecting means. The nickels are delivered from the nickel ejecting means into the receptacle 60 by means of an inclined chute or run way 60 extending downwardly from the nickel l ejecting means into the receptacle 60.

Registers or counters 61 and 62 are carried by the frame to bel operated by the nickel and dime ejecting means, respectively. A lever 63 carried by the frame is operatively connected to the register 61 and has its free end arranged in the path of the plunger 25 whereby when said plunger is moved outwardly, it will swing the lever 63 for; advancing the register 61 one step. Similarly, a lever 64 carried by the frame is operatively connected to the register 62 and has its free end arranged in the path of the lower plunger` 26. whereby when said plunger is moved outwardly, it will swing the lever 64 for advancing the register 62 one step.

In operation, the mixed dimes and nickels are dropped into the hopper 4 and will be conducted downwardly into the spout 5, the coins seating flatly one upon the other within the spout 5 to provide a pile of coins adapted to be carried one at a time bythe delivering device 6 to the sorting device. The operator turns the crank 40, so as to rotate the driving shaft 39, and the gear wheel 42 will naturally be rotated so as to reciprocate the pitman 45. l/Vhen the pitman 45 moves toward the arm 47, the stop 48 will strike the element 46 carried by the arm 47, and this will forcibly swing the rock shaft 10, so that the disk 8 carried by the rock shaft will be rotated properly to bring the coin opening 9 thereof under the spout 5. The opening 9 will thus receive the lowermost coin, whether it be dime or nickel, andA then when the itman 45 is moved away from the arm 4I7, the spring 49 will yieldably swing the arm 47 in the opposite direction. This will rotate the disk 8 in the opposite direction so as to move the opening 9 from under the spout 5 and over the outlet opening 11, and as a result, the coin will drop from the opening 9 through the opening 11 into the hopper 12. The coins are thus delivered one at a timey from the spout 5 to the coin chute 13. The hopper 12 is of such formation that the coins will be turned from any angle to an upright position when entering the passagev 14.Y If the coin is a nickel, it will be stopped by the seat or stop 16, and will therefore register with the opening 18, but if the coin is a dime, it will pass on down into the passagey 15 so as to rest upon the seat or stop 17 in registration with the opening 19. In this manner, the various denominations or sizes of coins are stopped at various points, in order that the coins may be properly ejected according to `their value. Now, assuming that a nickel N is within the passage 14 upon the seat 16, the cam 51 being rotated with the shaft 39 and bearing against the roller 52 carried by the bar or yoke 20 will push the bar 20 toward the coin chute, so ,that they plungers 23 and 24 will be projected through the coin passages. The upper plunger 23 will impinge against the nickel N and willpush the nickel through the outlet opening 18, the plunger 25 being forced outwardly with the nickel. The. lower plunger' 24 in the absence of a dime within the passage 15, will simply move idly within the bore 31 of the plunger 26 without moving said plunger. When the plunger 25 is moved outwardly, as aforesaid, the knob 34 thereof will be moved between the spring catches 36 and will snap in back of the hooks 38 of the Catches 36, so that the plunger. 25 is held against the tension of its spring 28. Then, when the cam 51 completes its revolution to allow the yoke or bar 20 to move back to initial or normal position under the influence of the springs 22, the plunger 25 is held at the position indicated, while the plunger 23 leaves the plunger 25, and the nickel which was previously clamped between the plunand 242 will be released, and will tall donnwardly from between the upper guide :2T and coin chute i3 down the chute UO into the receptacle 6G. lWhen the plunger' 25 is moved outwardly, it will swing the lever 33 for operating the register (3l, while the lower plunger 2o which remained idle` will render the dime register (Si). passive during the time that the nickel is being ejected. lrlhen a dime D is in the chute '15 upon the seat l?, .it will be moved outwardly through the opening l?) by the plunger Z-l, and will move the plunger 26 therewith, while the plunger 2B will simply move idly within the. bore 30 of the upper plunger The dime is thus carried out of the coin chute, similar in the manner in which the nickel was. and the plungerl 2G will be held by the catches Si' similar to the manner in which i plunger 25 is held by the catches 36. ihe dime may thus be released when the bar 2O moves backward to initial position,

and will drop into the receptacle 59. rl`he cam 57 is so arranged as to operate the plunger rod 56 at the proper time after the coin has been released, to rotate the' rock for separating the catches, in oraat respective plunger 25 or 26 released, and will therefore return i mi al position under the iniuence of its pring rEhe plungers 25 and 2G are thus 'eleased after the coins are ejected, to ren to normal positions for new operations. e lever (l-l is operated by the plunger 26 ictnating the o2, it being noted E. c respective coins are beinq ejected.

lie operation oi2 the apparatus is conned until all of the coins are taken from spout 5 and sorted, the operation being continuous.

The sorted coins be taken from the drawer 3S after the drawer is slidopen, and it des'red, the drawer may normally be held i. suitable lock, to prevent access oir-ot ot coins contained in heated by the registers f'nicli is desirable for reasons obvious.

tus illustrated and described aieularl.; 'for street car use, is only necessary, ordinarily, to nimes and nickels, change being as necessary, by the conductor to supone passengers with dimes and nickels. is evident, however, that by increasing number of coin passages ot the coin and correspondingly increasing the aber means, a larger number coins o various denominations may be ed or separated,

ving thus described the wl at is claimed as new is 2- ln a coin sorter, a coin chute having lll both registers are only operated when invention,

ans dil-ferent points ot its length for arf/neri stopping coins of various denominations and having outlet openings adjacent said means, yieldahle members normally disposed in said openings. ejecting means having plungers slidable through the chute for ejecting the coins through said openings and pushing said members twith the coins, pairs ot catches, said members having knobs engageable between and adapted to he held by the catches when the members are moved outwardly, a cam between the catches of the respective pairs for separatingr them, and means for operating the ejecting means and cam whereby the catches are released during the retraction of the plungers.

2. ln a coin sorter, a coin chute having means at various points of its length for stopping coins of different denominations, and having outlet openings at one side adjacent said means, ejecting means including plungers slidablev through the opposite side of the chute to project through the chute and said openings for ejecting the coins through said openings, spring pressed plungers normally disposed in said openings and adapted to be moved outwardly with the coins, said spring pressed plungers having bores for receiving the ejecting plungers,

and means for momentarily holding the spring pressed plungers when they are moved outwardly and until the ejecting plungers are retracted.

3. In a coin sorter, a coin chute having means at Various points of its length for stopping coins of dierent denominations, and having outlet openings at one side adjacent said means, ejecting means including plungers slidable through the opposite side of the chute to project through the chute and said openings for ejecting the coins through said openings, spring pressed plungers normally disposed in said openings and adapted to be moved outwardly with the coins, said spring pressed plungers having bores for receiving the ejecting plungers, catches engageable with the spring presse plungers when they are moved outwardly to hold the Same, and means for releasing said catches when the ejecting plungers are retracted.

4. A coin sorter comprising a coin chute having means at various points of its length for stopping coins of ditferent'denominations and having coin outlet open-- ings at one side adjacent said means, ejecting means including plungers slidable through the other side of the chute so as to be projectable through the chute and said openings, plungers normally disposed in said openings and having bores for receiving the ejecting plungers, guides for slidably supporting the second mentioned plungers, expansion springs between said guides and second mentioned plungers to yieldably move the second mentioned plunl catches are released during the retraction of` the ejecting plungers.A

5. In a coin sorter, a coin chute having means for, stopping acoin of one denomination and having an outlet -opening adja-l cent said means, eje'cting means including a plunger projectable through the chute and sald opening to eject the, coin, means for delivering coins one at a time into the chute, a spring pressed` member normally disposed in said opening and adapted to be moved outward with the coin when it is ejected, means for holding said member when it is moved outward, and means for releasing said holding means during the retraction of the plunger. n

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my slgnature .in the presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES H. WOODS.

Witnessesz' l v C. L. WAGGONER, l

BERNARD GRALIKER.- 

